A Garelian Exodus
by 1-1 Marines
Summary: Takes place during Chapters 31 and 32 of The Empire Cracks Down. Rated T for language and violence. One-shot.


**ME: I'm sorry about the lack of updates for TECD, guys. I don't have all the time in the world and I don't know what to do with Spectre Team at the moment. Any suggestions are appreciated. Anyhow, here's a Lower-Deck Episode-or in this case, a Lower-Deck Chapter.**

The anti-Imperial insurgency known as the Rebel Alliance has become more than just a loose coalition of insurgents and terrorists, Your Majesty. Director Yularen of Military Intelligence and I have concluded that they are attempting to organize a formal military, my Emperor-one grossly inferior to the forces you command, of course, but it appears that these rebels will become more of a challenge to deal with than is normal. Regardless, I will continue to serve you and defend your New Order no matter who or what rises against it, Great Uniter.

 **(Director Armand Isard of COMPNOR, speaking to His Imperial Majesty, Emperor Sheev Palpatine the Great Uniter)**

The Alliance to Restore the Republic had not been idle during their time on Garel. They had managed to assassinate the Planetary Governor of Garel, a man named Chavez, and had begun building up the strength of the Alliance Army units on the world. Cells of local guerrillas specializing in hit-and-run tactics were not to be dismissed, but the Rebel Alliance would have to grow its capabilities beyond planetary-level insurgencies if they wanted to defeat the Empire.

"Remember, body armor worth anything beyond pocket change on the black market isn't worthless," Lieutenant Colonel Rex said as he instructed a group of soldiers that had come aboard _Liberator_ to use a firing range. "However, that doesn't mean you're invincible if you've got armor on. Even if you survive a shot thanks to being protected, chances are you'll still be incapacitated or injured. Conversely, even if you don't kill a Stormtrooper or Guardsman, taking them out of the fight will still go a long way to keeping yourself and your fellow Rebels alive. Every wounded Imp is one that'll have to be recovered and patched up as well, so at least the Empire's logistics are strained."

A Rebel soldier named Delsin Rowe nodded. "So that's why Stormies seek cover even though they wear that bulky armor," he said. "Makes sense, Colonel Rex. Thanks for having us aboard, it was nice to get some target practice in. Who knows, maybe we'll be able to take on Darth Vader one day."

Rex's blood ran cold. "Vader?" he said in disbelief. "Really, kid?"

"I don't know much about Vader, sir," said another soldier, a woman named Abigail Walker. "All we've heard is that he's some Lord of the Empire and he dresses up in black all the time."

"It can't be the helmet that scares people," offered another soldier. "Stormtroopers and Feds have helmets, after all."

Rex shook his head. "And just one Imperial with a blaster is all it takes to kill a Rebel," he said, irritated at the ignorance the Army soldiers had exhibited. _I understand rumors, but these troopers better wise up or this kind of attitude'll get them all killed._ "Let's get in some more practice, soldiers. None of you will get close to harming Vader without practicing your marksmanship first."

 ***CUT TO: GUARD POST ALPHA THREE, REBEL HANGAR, GAREL CITY, GAREL***

"All posts, this is Alpha Control," said a voice on Alpha Three's comlink. "Report in, over."

"Alpha One here, Control. Nothing to report, area secure. Over."

"Control, this is Alpha Two," said a third voice. "Post secure, no Imps in sight. Looks all clear, over."

A Garelian Rebel, Corporal Connor Morgan, grumbled before he reported the status of the guard post he had been assigned to. "Alpha Three checking in. We're secure here, Control. Nothing to report. Interrogative: Hear anything from the Imps? Over."

"Negative, Alpha Three. I say again, we have not received any intel on the enemy. Continue to hold your post, over."

"Wilco, Alpha Control," Connor replied. "Alpha Three out."

Private First Class Hopper Lee, a Rebel technical expert, shrugged. "I don't know what you're complaining about, Connor," he said. "This is a pretty easy job. We man this post along with some jarheads-."

Derisive snorts came from the Alliance Marines serving with the Rebel soldiers.

"-and make sure no one tries to rush in and take over the corvette parked in this hangar," Hopper finished. "Sure, it's not the same as getting into firefights with Imps, but it's not like we're sitting at a desk filing out reports. We're keeping a blockade runner from being overwhelmed without warning. It's not like we got a large flotilla of warships, Connor, so what we're doing right now is very much important."

Connor shook his head. "You think this is gonna help take down the Empire, Hop?" he shot back. "Standing around doing something a damn droid can handle isn't what I was born to do. We take the fight to these bastards, before too long Coruscant won't be called 'Imperial Center' anymore. We sit around, and cocksuckers like Tarkin'll keep their jackboots on the necks of everyone from here to Corellia."

Before anyone could reply to Connor's statement, suddenly the screen Hopper was in charge of monitoring displayed static. "Again?" Hopper muttered in annoyance. "I swear, this has got to be the third time this month this has happened!"

Connor quickly grabbed the comlink. "Alpha Control, this is Alpha Three," he said. "Come in, over."

"Copy, Alpha Three," replied Alpha Control. "Go ahead, over."

"Alpha Control, be advised," said Connor. "Our surveillance system is down, say again, we've got static on our surveillance monitor. Over."

"Acknowledged, Alpha Three. We'll send a tech team to your location ASAP. In the meantime, make sure your AO is secure. Say again, secure your AO. Understood?"

Connor: "Wilco, Control. Three out."

The Corporal in charge of Alpha Three's Marines checked the charge on his rifle as he headed to the blast door with one of his men in tow. "Can't rely on tech for everything, I guess," the NCO said, as though he wasn't that angry at the technical problem facing Guard Post Alpha Three. "Probably why some backwater worlds still use slug-."

The blast door opened, revealing a group of four Imperial Stormtroopers with their weapons at the ready.

"SHIT!" the Corporal cursed as he tried to aim his rifle, but both of the Marines were cut down before they could get a single shot off due to being caught off-guard.

"FIND FUCKING COVER!" Connor yelled, powering up his rifle as he did so.

The Stormtrooper fireteam laid down suppressing fire, failing to kill any of the Rebels but forcing them all to keep their heads down.

Fortunately for the Rebels, one of them, a woman named Rianna, had a grenade on her. "Frag out!" she yelled after removing the pin before tossing said grenade.

 ***CUT TO: GARELIAN REBEL HEADQUARTERS, GAREL CITY, GAREL***

"Attention all citizens," said Director Brooke Augustine of the Department of Unified Protection via both media broadcast and loudspeakers. "The rebel terrorists that have been cowering on our world hoping to strike against the Empire are in our very capital city, the crown jewel of Garel, as I speak. Please remain calm and stay indoors to avoid being gunned down in the streets by these monsters and cooperate-."

Corporal Cole MacGrath shut off the monitor. "Okay, looks like someone really pissed the Imps off," he snarked, trying to lighten the mood and disguise his own anxiety. "Why else would they come knocking here?"

"'Pissed off' is the understatement of the millennium, Cole!" shot back PFC Zeke Dunbar, his best friend. "Word is the Empire's got Destroyers in orbit now and Vader's Fist itself is on the way, and those boys don't go after ordinary insurgents like us."

"MacGrath, Dunbar!" yelled Sergeant Reggie Rowe. "Get off your asses and follow me!"

The two followed Reggie and soon met up with a number of other Rebels, including the commander of the Garelian insurgency, Colonel Boone Karlson, and Lieutenant Lucy Kuo, an Alliance intelligence officer.

"Sergeant Rowe, good to see you and your squad could make it," said Colonel Karlson. "Lieutenant Kuo here has gathered vital information on the Empire's operations both here and throughout the entire sector. As such, Sergeant, you and your subordinates are entrusted with making sure she gets to a ship and makes it out of here."

"Colonel, we need to get you out of here as well," protested Reggie. "You're a vital part of the rebel-."

"- _don't_ , son," Karlson cut him off. "Garel's lost, all we can do if we want to live is go to ground or evacuate. Someone has to coordinate things from here, and it's gonna have to be me. Phoenix Fleet's got senior leadership, you and every other soldier on my command who can get a ride with those swabbies'll have a new Colonel to salute. Now follow your damn orders, Sergeant Rowe, and get Lieutenant Kuo to safety."

"Sir, yes, sir," Rowe replied. "Squad, you heard the man. Let's see to it that the Lieutenant gets onboard a ship, preferably a corvette."

The hodgepodge mix of Rebels boarded a repulsor truck and headed into the city. Perhaps with the battle ongoing at the hangars housing Phoenix Fleet, taking down a single truck was something the Empire couldn't spare resources to accomplish at the moment.

A group of DUP operatives were engaging Rebel guerrillas, two DUP APCs providing fire support. Unable to stop to offer help for their fellow insurgents (not that they could do much anyway) Lieutenant Kuo and her escorts proceeded further in their unarmed transport.

"Mortar fire, incoming!" Reggie yelled as mortar shells crashed around them. "Hang on!"

Fragments from a mortal shell peppered the truck. Though nothing exploded and no one was killed, power to the repulsors were cut off, leaving the truck to slam into the ground.

"Well, shit," Delsin commented. "Looks like we're on foot from here on out."

"Let's head for the sewers," Lucy ordered. "We were vulnerable enough in a transport, no way we'll make it to a hangar this way. Besides, no way we'd have gotten past the Imperial gauntlet that has to surround Phoenix Fleet's hangars by now. On the other hand, we can speak past and avoid the Imperials entirely via the sewers."

"Then why bother going out in a truck in the first place, ma'am?" Abigail "Fetch" Walker, a Rebel a year younger than Delsin, asked. "Speed?"

"That and the fact the sewers could very well be filled with insurgents by now, along with Imperials hunting them down," Lucy answered.

"Understood, ma'am," Reggie said in a professional voice. "You've heard the lady, boys and girls. Come on, time to get down and dirty." _Literally, in this instance,_ the Rebel Sergeant thought.

Lucy and the squad went down into the sewers, their nostrils assailed by the waste of Garel City. Thankfully, they were not attacked by any Imperials. Climbing up a ladder, Lucy removed the man hole and stood up in an empty room.

Tapping at a comm panel on a wall next to the blast door that was the only other exit point in the room, the Alliance intelligence officer said, "This is Seven-One-Three, is anyone home?"

Several seconds later, there was a reply. "Eta Two Red," said a deep male voice.

Lucy: "Sigma Seven Blue."

The door opened. "You smell like shit, Lieutenant," said the Marine sentry. "Get your ass onboard, ma'am, now would be a bad time to get shot."

She nodded and turned to Reggie. "Sergeant, you and your soldiers are free to accompany me onboard," Lucy told him as they walked towards the corvette's loading ramp. "You people are the reason I made it here in one piece, you've all earned a break."

Reggie shook his head. "Lieutenant Kuo, our fellow soldiers and the jarheads are getting shot up holding the line," he said. "I can't sit this one out, ma'am. Just please make sure your intel is secure aboard the ship, it's what Colonel Karlson would've wanted."

After Lucy had boarded _Liberator_ , the squad of Rebel soldiers ran towards the defenses being led by Lieutenant Colonel Rex. The situation did not look good for the Rebel Alliance. While a number of dead Imperial soldiers and DUP operatives laid still in the corridor leading to the hangar, more than a few Rebel Marines and soldiers had died as well, with the Alliance's Navy Corpsmen and Army medics stretched thin taking care of the injured and wounded.

"Sergeant Rowe reporting for duty, sir," Reggie greeted Rex.

The aging clone veteran smiled under his helmet. "You and your squad are sights for sore eyes, son," Rex said. "Get yourselves into position, soldiers. The Imps'll be back, that's a fact."

Surely enough, two lines of CompForce troopers appeared. The first wave carried shields along with their E-11 rifles, while the second wave moved closely behind the first and carried DLT-20A blaster rifles.

"Kark, they've got shields!" exclaimed one Marine as Rebel particle bolts bounced off the shields.

"Break out the RPDs and grenade launchers!" Rex ordered. "It's our only chance of stopping them!"

As the CompForce unit charged, RPDs and grenade flew towards them. Their advance was halted and the CompForce attack had failed, but more Rebels now lay dead on the ground.

"We'll run out of guys at this rate!" a Private screamed, clearly on the verge of a breakdown. The fact that five Rebel corpses were close to him doubtlessly had added to his stress.

Rex tapped at his helmet and sighed in relief. "Alright, mongrels!" he said, referencing the fact that the Lieutenant Colonel was the only clone amongst the Rebel defenders. "Just got word from Colonel West, we are leaving! Get to the ship, move it!"

The Marines and soldiers fell back, covering each other as they did. More DUPs, Stormtroopers, Federal Guardsmen, and CompForce soldiers tried to close the gap, but cover fire from _Liberator_ forced the Imperial troops to keep their distance.

"All aboard!" Rex said to Captain H'Arman via comlink as he charged up the loading ramp, making sure he was the last Rebel to make it onboard the ship. "Now would be a good time to leave, Captain!"

As the loading ramp retracted, the ship's PA blared, "All hands, prepare for takeoff! Repeat: All personnel, stand by for takeoff!"

As _Liberator_ lifted off the ground via her repulsorlifts and angled herself towards space, the exhausted infantry did their best to keep out of the way of the Rebel sailors as they headed deeper into the CR90. A number of them took refuge in a mess deck, where instead of cooked meals many simply took the opportunity to wolf down ration bars.

"Hey, Colonel Rex?" Fetch asked the clone officer as he inspected the troops.

"Yes, soldier?" Rex responded.

She smiled at him. "Thanks for instructing us, sir," said Fetch. "I doubt we'd have survived if not for veterans to whip us into-."

 _Liberator_ suddenly shuddered, as though seized by an invisible hand. Rex grimaced, at first grateful that his faceplate concealed his expression, then realizing many of the soldiers and Marines in the room also had made an educated guess as to what was going on.

"Attention all hands, this is the Captain," said H'Arman. "Prepare to be boarded, I say again, stand by to repeal boarders."

Lieutenant Colonel West was the next person to use the PA. "I want a squad guarding every entry point," he ordered. "Marines, either secure a weak point or stand by to act as a mobile reserve and reinforce any area under attack. We will _NOT_ go gentle, Devil Akks. Let's give these fucks a chest full of blaster burns and a pool of their own piss to drown in!"

Reinvigorated by the short and mildly profane pep talk, the Marines rushed to obey their orders. Rex ordered Sergeant Rowe and his squad to follow him to the bridge, for the Lieutenant Colonel decided to reinforce security there and make the Imps pay a high price to take _Liberator's_ bridge.

"Good to see you, Colonel," said Commodore Ackbar in a grim voice as the soldiers walked onto the bridge. "You know, Army officers are not obliged in any way, shape, or form to go down with warships, unlike their counterparts in the Navy."

"I appreciate the sentiment, sir," replied Rex, "but escape isn't an option. May as well face fate with dignity, Commodore."

Just after Captain H'Arman finished ordering his weapons officer to tell _Liberator's_ gunnery crew to shoot down as many TIEs as possible, both to make life easier for the rest of Phoenix Fleet and to send as many Imperials to their graves as they could, the sensor operator spoke up. "Sirs, I'm picking up a contact!" she said. "Looks like _Ghost_!"

"Wait, what?" both Rex and H'Arman said.

Ackbar immediately raised the Corellian VCX. "Captain Syndulla, get out of here!" he yelled, desperate to avert what would be a futile rescue attempt. "That's an order!"

To the surprise of Reggie and his squad, Captain Syndulla replied, "You can court-martial me later, sir. Just stand by to activate your thrusters!"

Captain H'Arman glanced at a tactical display before saying, "Understood, Syndulla. Be advised: You got TIEs on your tail, looks like cloud cars!"

"Thanks, H'Arman."

Reggie checked the charge on both his rifle and his sidearm. Both had fully charged magazines and he had decided to switch out the gas canisters for his weapons just in case. If nothing else, he would not make it easy for the Stormtroopers aboard the Star Destroyer that had a tractor beam reeling in _Liberator_.

Somehow, Captain Syndulla turned out to be either crazy or brave enough-probably a little bit of both, Reggie decided-to outright ram the tractor beam projector that had ensnared _Liberator_.

"We're clear, Hera!" Colonel Rex said after _Liberator_ was free to move under her own power again. "Thanks for the assistance, we owe you guys drinks!"

Fortunately for Reggie and every other Rebel aboard, the blockade runner and the rest of Phoenix Fleet were able to clear the atmosphere of Garel and enter space. Unfortunately, an Imperial blockade that included an Immobilizer 418 was in orbit, preventing their escape.

 _If we can't jump soon,_ Delsin thought, _we'll be so screwed, it won't be funny for even the most sadistic of people._ Doubtlessly the only reason Phoenix Fleet hadn't been destroyed on the ground before any of the corvettes and transports could takeoff was so the Imperials could capture those starships and take the Rebels aboard prisoner.

Suddenly a new voice said, "This is Transport One, we have been captured and are initiating self-destruct. I repeat, we are detonating our fusion reactor. All units, get clear to avoid the blast radius. I say again, get clear of our blast radius. Transport One out."

"The hell?" said a comms operator. "Detonating a fusion reactor would violate basic physics!"

"That's because they aren't going to do that," H'Arman said. "They're going to blow themselves up!"

Ackbar: "Sensor, which ship's reeling in Transport One?"

"The Immobilizer, sir."

Zeke had to cringe. Sure, he was a bit self-serving and irresponsible, but he had to admire the courage the crew of Transport One were showing. _Sheesh, blowing yourself to kingdom come,_ the Rebel soldier thought. _That's definitely not how I wanna go when it's time to die._

When Transport One and the Interdictor were both destroyed by a nuclear explosion, Ackbar gave the order. "All ships, jump now! Repeat, jump now!"

While the Rebels aboard _Liberator_ were relieved to have survived to fight another day, they had all gone through a sobering experience. Very few people felt like celebrating even as the hungry troops who had fought to defend _Liberator_ while she was on the ground ate hot meals for the first time since the Battle of Garel had started.

 **ME: Given how Yularen was made Deputy Director of either Naval Intelligence or Military Intelligence in Tarkin, not to mention how he was a competent Admiral during the Clone Wars who served under Vader when he was still a Jedi, I imagine that, ten years later, him being Director of Military Intelligence wouldn't be much of a stretch. I wonder what rank he would be.**

 **Focusing on Rebel Redshirts was an intentional choice on my part. Besides having no ideas on the next chapter for TECD at the moment, I wanted to show the civil war the Rebels and Imperials are fighting and dying in from the POV of ordinary individuals, or at least ordinary compared to Spectre Team and the elite Imperials.**

 **I hope this was alright, guys.**


End file.
